ScFi Recommendations

I have a $85 gift certificate to blow at Amazon.

I'm looking for recommendations for good ScFi books. Can anyone list their top three favorites as suggestions for me to try out. Willing to try some Fantasy, as I have not read much except LOTR and the Thomas Covenant "White Gold Wielder" series.

I have read most of the older main stream authors, such as Asimov, Clark, Haldeman, Heinlein, Ellison, Niven, Sturgeon etc. Really enjoyed the Chanur series by Cherry hand Into the Gap series by Donaldson.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

These aren't new by a long shot, and if you say you've read most of the older mainstream novels, you might have read these:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card was a great book I thought. I have Ender's Shadow (like a companion novel to Ender's Game) here but haven't started it yet. Speaker for the Dead which was a sequel to Ender's Game was decent.

Also "Do Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K Dick was great (Blade Runner was based on the book).

The Bible.

Steven Erickson's and Ian Esslemont Malazan Books of the Fallen, 10 in the series, some real epic stuff, large battles and sweet magic, real funny stuff sometimes too, first one is Gardens of the Moon….

Neal Stephenson's Anathem is sci-fi. I haven't read it, but I like much of his other stuff. They call it "speculative fiction", although I've never heard that label before.

Hyperion and the book that comes after it by Dan Simmons. AMAZING.

The Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. Both are excellent.

Honestly those four are the things I would recommend most.

Also William Gibson has done some really good work. Anything in the Mona Lisa Overdrive, Count Zero series is excellent.

Check out Ken Macleod's Engines of Light trilogy, starting with Cosmonaut Keep.
I second the Neal Stephenson recommendations too. Snow Crash is a great place to start.

I notice you didn't list Frank Herbert in your old-timers list. If you've not read Dune, you should. That opens up a whole new universe. Ignore the latest books by his son, they're brutal.

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card (1st of 8 book series)
The First Immortal - James Halperin (Fiction on cryogenics)
The Truth Machine - James Halperin (Fiction on what if there was a 100% lie detector)

Or you could buy a Fleshlight?

If you like truly imaginative Sci-Fi, and don't mind black british humor, read novels by Iain M. Banks.

Especially "Look to Windward", "Player of Games" and "Use of Weapons" are among the most impressive Sci-Fi books i have ever come across.

And if you haven't read William Gibsons "Neuromancer", do yourself a favour and read it now. It is more recent, but at least as influential as Enders Game or Forever War.

Fantasy:
Stephen Eriksons Malazan books are pure gold. (Esselmont, not so much)
No conventional 'happy-end' fantasy. Imaginative, dark, gritty, suspenseful and tragic. And the author is canadian. :)
They are a bit hard to get into, though. Lots of characters and storylines, all of them important and all interweaving.

Pretty much the same holds for George Martins 'Song of Ice and Fire'-novels.

Another excelent fantasy book is 'The Name of the Wind' by Patrick Rothfuss. Beautifully written and a bit easier to digest then the above.

hope this helps.

if you haven't read any, William Gibson, particular faves of mine are Mona Lisa Overdrive, Virtual Light and the Difference Engine.

Iain M Banks for dark, imaginative stuff (Excession, Use of Weapons, The Algebraist).

Peter F Hamilton for broad-brush, pagecount-heavy but page-turning space opera (the Night's Dawn trilogy is trashy but superb).

Neal Stephenson for near-future cyberpunk, think William Gibson without the detached ennui.

Charles Stross for a good combination of all of the above. Accelerando is excellent, Halting State is also good.

Great stuff, some authors I have not tried.

Have read all Orson Scott Card, even the red series. His writing style is excellent and read most of Phillip K Dick. Dune was excellent probably read it three time now.
I think i have covered most of Gibson, particularly cyperpunk stuff.

Timer/C4miles I am a huge Banks fan, should have mentioned him up front. One of my Q2 gaming name is ROU-KillingTime, which no doubt you will recognize. :)

Gothem, had no idea what you were talking about..had to google it…LOL.

So far we have:

Neal Stephenson - The Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Anathem and Snow Crash
Dan Simmons - Hyperion, the fall of Hyperion (5 in the series?)
James Halperin The First Immortal and the The Truth Machine
Ken Macleod - Engines of Light trilogy, (Cosmonaut Keep to start)
Charles Stross - Accelerando and Halting State
Peter Mailton - Night's Dawn

Fantasy

Steven Erickson's - Malazan Books of the Fallen
Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind
George Martins - Song of Ice and Fire

Looks like my spending spree could be a lot more than $85, but I love to read ScFi and fantasy, so is all good.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Steve?

from outta left field…

Elizabeth Moon
Anne McCaffery and the stuff these two have done together.

The Iron Dragon's Daughter - effing incredible book.

Currently reading a book edited by George RR Martin called "Inside Straight" - sort of a new look at novel writing - its short stories by different authors that taken together form an entire novel. Pretty cool so far.

If you like truly imaginative Sci-Fi, and don't mind black british humor, read novels by Iain M. Banks.

+2 I've enjoyed each book of his I've read.